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Thursday, June 30, 2011

Day 7 Video

Day 7 | Russell Nuckles

Just to let everyone know, if Tyler doesn't make it home, it was a woman that did it. It will most likely be a very painful, gruesome death. He is totally innocent of all stories you may hear.

Day 7 | Jarren Morlan

This is my first blog of the week, not because I don't like to blog, but because it is the first time it was open to type. Seems as though everyone is on this thing at any and every moment telling about their experiences and God moments this week which has been freakin awesome! God surely has been working in the lives of each and everyone here. Whether it'd be through worship, work, fellowship, and even the "Eric Campbell" jokes. This week has been a great experience for everyone. I have grown closer to individuals within our church that I have not had the chance to before and been seeing God in a lot of things! This has been a great week, I really cant begin to explain all that has happened here, but through others and their blogs I am sure you have read a lot and been moved. Thank you for all your support, without you we wouldnt be where we are today. This has been an amazing week and I am very humbled by everything. (I am done typing now)

Day 7 | Cassidy Dickens

Only a few minutes left before our last dinner in Montana, and I'm praying that God would choose to make the day a few hours longer just this once. Today was by far the best so far of all our days here, which is a huge statement in itself. We had college day this morning at VBS-- it was really great watching Logan, Tyler, Leandra, and Brian get to know all the awesome kids I've been lucky enough to spend my week with. Watching the kids as we all hugged goodbye and let them walk away made me realize something: a piece of my heart will always stay with them, here in Montana.
As if an amazing morning weren't enough, though, God blessed me again just a few minutes ago. Seven of us-- Logan Morlan, Tyler Morlan, Jarren Morlan, Jay Smallwood, Skye Taylor, David Hughes, Brian Gerwig, Russell Nuckles and myself-- decided to hike up to the very highest point on the mountain behind our camp. It wasn't easy (I had fallen in the creek twice within the first minute), but there are no words to describe what made it worth every ounce of effort. It never ceases to amazes me what a magnificent, awesome God we have. Every tree, every much appreciated gust of wind, every multicolored daisy, unnamed flower, rock cliff... It's all one huge reminder that there is absolutely nobody greater. His work, like his love for us, can't be duplicated or outdone, or even described. Just because the mission trip ends doesn't mean that God stops being amazing though; the memories, the realizations, the changes in heart...it will all follow us back home to Braxton.

Day 7 | Miranda Riffle

So far, this week has been amazing. This being my second year in Montana, i once again do not want to leave. VBS had been a great success and interacting with the kids has to be the best part of being here. All the jobs got finished earlier, like always and everyone ended up all working on the house we were adding too which was pure chaos of course with everyone fighting over tools and hiding them so the others wouldn't steal them. But overall, Callie, Erin, Nicole and I (somewhat Andrew) rocked at putting siding on that house. I have to admit that though everyday has been brutally hot, everyone has completely enjoyed being here, spending time with each other and working for the glory of God. Time here on the reservation is amazing, and though it shouldn't because we've done our work, i am certainly sad that this is our last night. We all worked hard, and have become quite close and though i do miss home and friends and family, i don't think i would leave this place in at least 2 weeks. Or maybe never.

Day 7 | JC Hoard

well today went well. we finished our project finally. after we finished, bill, bryson, lloyd and i all showered in ice cold water. We all screamed like little girls. You could hear the chunks of ice coming out of the water hose.

Day 6 Video

Day 6 video below, also new blog posts have been added. We are going to try and post Day 7 video late tonight around midnight-2am eastern.

Day 7 | Schannon Dennison

Wow this has been an experience! One I will treasure. I didn't know what to expect coming into this which turned out to be good that way when we got here and there was no electric and no water and no plumbed toilets I wasn't disappointed unlike MANY of the girls. The work has been hard and we sleep good at night but The Lord is blessing me in so many different ways. To tell the truth I would stay here longer if I had the chance if the Lord provides the opportunity I will be on more mission trips I have the MISSION TRIP FEVER now! I just want to thank everyone that has prayed for us before after and hopefully after our trip and remind everyone we have our own VBS coming up and I ask that you pray for that as well. All this work we are doing, I believe will be pointless, if we don't fertilize the soil in our own backyard! God Bless You all Thanks again to everyone here and at HOME We Miss You All!!

Day 7 | Ashley Neff

Hello all, ashley here again, well today is the 7th day out on our grand adventure.... all in all its been a really great week. I love being here so much that i'm really sad to say goodbye to it all tomorrow. Last night was amazing because we had worship with little Kenny at the new church. It was wonderful to just sit with your close family and friends and sing out praises to the Lord. Kenny was amazing on the guitar... i mean he would just lead us into numerous songs and never stop playing. The church looked wonderful, the finished product was just a sight to see. Yesterday i went to a house to clean... i felt so humbled on the inside because i have more then this family had in the whole house... it just touched my heart to give back in a way that i know that they will appreciate it. The meals here at the camp have been really good, for not having the full kitchen setup the way the dinners come together is just amazing. I have made so many close friends since being out here... and i have come to know myself a lot more in the last few days.. i have pushed myself in ways i thought i never would. God has put me in situations that i have never been in and he has challenged me.. and for that I thank him so much. With this trip i have fully come to the conclusion that i want to go into mission work. My heart just beats with anticipation at the thought of my next mission trip... i just wish my mom could have been here to experience this wonderful trip with my sister and I. So have I been challenged in numerous ways... yes... but do I regret anything... NO!!!! I have come to the conclusion that i have not only gained numerous new friends but a family and i pray that we all stay as close as we are now... Stay good WV... we shall be home soon... and some of us if not all of us will be a changed person in the Lord. Love and miss everyone dearly!! :)

Day 7 | Logan Morlan

Well its been a great week so far the trip was long but really fun. I've gotten to climb a really tall hill and see for miles. It was amazing it reminded me of going to yellow tale with Micah. I took a lot of pictures of it. If you want a good picture of how big God is come here, and climb a tall hill then look around.
I hope the week gets even better as we go along. We are doing really good things here. This camp will be better than Cowen.

Day 7 | Leandra McMillion

Hello family! I miss you so much and I love you :) I hope you are all doing well and that everything is great back home. Today is our fourth day working, and we have already completed so many tasks. I can't believe it has gone by so quickly. I am having such a great time! I have learned so many things...like power tools! I really enjoy working on the house that we are building an extension onto. I hope you all are enjoying the wonderful videos that Eric has put together for us. So many memories are jam packed into those!
God has moved in so many ways. He has really opened my eyes to see his glory. I am so thankful and blessed for that. I am really glad I got to come on this trip to serve Him. This time is really special to me because I am here with my fiancé, Bryson Morlan. Being able to praise God and glorify Him this week by the side of my future husband has blessed me beyond belief. It has made us grow even closer together. God deserves more than I alone could ever give Him, but I will devote my life to praising and giving God all the glory in everything I do.

Day 7 | Allison Ramsey

Hello everybody! I am having a great time, and it's hard to believe this is the last work day. We have of course ran out of jobs. We finished the siding job and I began working with my dad and Bill at Kenneth's house. We had to shower before church yesterday, so since we don't have any running water at the camp, we washed our hair at Kenneth's house, then went down to the creek to bath.

We have had a lot of awesome memories that will never be forgotten. God has really touched my life this week. Continue to pray for us as we leave for Yellowstone tomorrow, and begin traveling home. I love and miss you all. God is being greatly glorified!

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Day 6 Video

Look for Day 6 video by 2pm eastern tomorrow. We are currently having worship with Kenny Pretty on Top. Video tomorrow. New blog posts from the youth below.

Day 6 | Russell Nuckles

This has quite possibly been the awesomest mission trip of my life. No showers, no bathrooms, no electricity. And i'm sleeping in a TP. All of which, when added to the atmosphere of a mission week, is turning out to be a terrific experience. Being removed from the normal comforts of life such as running water, cell phone service, etc., really makes you move past the usual everyday concerns about appearance and personal hygiene. The beauty and sheer size of this place shows the unlimited power of the Lord in a way I have never seen before. Anyone who has never seen a sunset on a place as flat as this is missing out on a spectacle unmatched.

As usual, we are already out of jobs, so we are trying to find things to do. In a remarkable turn of events last night, we got the wonderful opportunity to go put a herd of cows back into their proper field. And I thought I had gotten away from all that.

It's hard to believe that we have only one more day to work. This week has really flown by. I miss being home, but at the same time I will be sorry to leave this place.

Day 6 | Matt Bailey

Hola amigos! Today has been a great day here at the Crow Nation. I finally got to take a shower after four days of work. I felt soooooo amazing! I know this sounds cliche, but it really started make me think about God. Going without a shower for four days is gross, and I can barely stand it, but how many times do we not wash ourselves of sin and just go on with our lives? We know we have sin in our lives, but we don't take the time to wash ourselves in the Blood of the Lamb, and be made pure and whole. I want to crave his Holiness like I crave a hot shower. When I get to that point, then I will be where I want to be in Him.

Later today, Bill came up to me and gave me a project, something he has never really done before. I've been in charge of things like teaching, doing bible studies, being a counselor at Cowen, but doing construction work...well...that has never been my strong suit. He showed me the site, and explained the job to me, and I felt a bit overwhelmed. I went back to my room, laid on my mattress, and I was so nervous I would screw it up. But then I realized that I serve a God who can do anything, a God that moves mountains and makes the waves in the oceans. He feeds the starving, completes the broken, holds the frightened, destroys evil, and holds the entire cosmos in his hands. Surely he can but two boards together. And so I prayed that he would help me do this, and he gave me a peace to go and do it.

I went out to the site and looked at the job I had before me. I rallied Mary, Kelsie, and Drew to my side and we owned that job site. Everything went miraculously good! It was more work than we thought it was, but when we got done with the project, it was so amazing. God deserves all the credit for that job, because we did not have the ability or the knowledge to do that job.

You see, God doesn't need gifted people to do his work. He doesn't need carpenters, welders, farmers, trained musicians, doctors, lawyers, or any other special person to do his work. He just needs you. He just needs anybody who will say yes to him, and he will give them all the power that they need. Our potential lies completely in the power that Christ endows us with to do his work. And i assure you, if he wants you to do it, he'll make sure you get it done. Just believe, that's all the difference between ordinary and extraordinary.

Day 6 | Bryson Morlan

Hello to all. I am reporting to you by way of "blogging" from here on the camp site. As most of you have heard this is like camping because we have no running water, didn't have electricity, and no cell service. But if any of you know me, you know that this is similar to a regular weekend hiking trip :). I am in charge of the VBS lessons every morning for the kids and after lunch I help work on Kenneth Pretty On Top's house till dinner. It has been a blast!
Today was something special though. My day started just like every other day, nothing out of the ordinary. However, when I got to the park to do VBS I was really upset because it was covered in trash. EVERY TIME we travel to the park, we clean up trash. The same trash at the same area and the trash cans are always over flowing. I mean we just cleaned this area yesterday, and the day before that, but yet it still just as dirty as if we hadn't done a thing. Out of my frustration, it got me thinking about God. You know that park is like my life. God created it, it is beautiful, however it is full of trash. So think I ask God to come and take it all away, completely clean it up and He does! However, the next day, there's trash. How frustrated do you think God is? It's like I ask him everyday, I just can't keep it clean! It is beyond my control. There is no way I can have a completely clean and beautiful life without God taking away my trash! The coolest thing is, just like every morning I go and clean up the garbage at the park, God cleans up my life every time I ask. Because He loves me, and thats more than enough reason to clean up my mess every time! God's love is new EVERYDAY! I praise the Lord!

Day 5 Video

Day 5 | Mickey Skeens

What a beautiful place God has made.  No Power, No Running Water, No Cell Phones, No TV.  It couldn't get any better.  God never ceases to amaze me at what he does and continues to do.  After traveling over 1700 miles in three days I have heard no grumbling or complaining.  Everyone seems to be in one accord with one another.  The new camp site is beautiful.  It reminds me a lot of camp cowen.  I am so proud of our kids, even though this is only day 2 they have done everything that has been ask of them and then some.  Most of our jobs have been completed and should be finished by Wednesday.  We are starting to look for more work to do.  The Crow Indians are great people to work with, they are very receptive to us and treat us as we belong with them.  God has showed me that it is not always about getting the work done, but just taking the time to spend and share with others.  Just sitting around the camp fire listening to the kids and adults share what God has done for them and what he is doing with their hearts.  You couldn't have asked for a better group to travel with and send out as representatives for Christ.  I am sitting here at the park watching everyone enter act with the children at the carnival we are doing.  I want to thank everyone that made this trip possible for us and to everyone who is taking care of Riley for us while we are away. 

Day 5 | Laura Gerwig

I have had an awesome week so far! I love the whole "ruffin' it", my only problem with it is the whole Porta Potties ( I would rather use the woods). So far today I have helped with concrete which was a really awesome job! I miss my friends and family but still I'm loving it here. I think this is really good for all of us it kinda makes you have to slow down and realize life isn't all about texting, facebooking and such. Sometimes you just need to take a break and get away from the world. I just think it sort of makes us have to bond and not keep our face buried in whats going on at home with everyone. I have had so much fun working. God really touched me a few nights ago with a beautiful sunset. I don't know how people can look at the beauty of this earth and not believe in God.  Tonight is the carnival for the vbs kids I'm so excited. Well it's time to get off here and go back to work :) 

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Day 5 video

Uploading the video now. Should be viewable by 2pm. Kenny Pretty on Top will be leading worship tonight (postponed from last night)

Day 4

Several new blog entries by the youth below this video. So please keep reading. I just bumped the newest video to the top.

Day 4 | Ashley Neff

Why hello there.... wow lets just say that this trip thus far has been amazing... I have learned so much about so many people and i thank God for everything that he has showed me. Well today is Monday and today i was with the group that was building on a extra room to a house. Lets just say that i dug enough holes to last me a lifetime but i'm not complaining. I was with Skye, Jarren, Lloyd, Aaron, Logan, Vicki, Schannon, Mahala, Miranda, Callie, Charity, Jay.....so yea pretty much an awesome crew.... We worked really hard and everything turned out great. Then we came back to camp and had a major disaster with dinner but with a few girls and some very lucky women, we including i got an awesome dinner thrown together by dinner time!!! :) Well as i type this they guys are getting together the evening bon fire... i figure this is gonna be an event to be seen... but we will have some smore's and great laughter to be shared.... I miss home and love everyone dearly.... wish that you all could have made the trip. I just heard that we will be able to shower finally tomorrow.... whoop whoop!!! but love you all again.. and God Bless!!!   

Day 4 | Matt Bailey

Today has been totally awesome! We started the day out at 7, with breakfast, and then it was off to vbs. Logan was coordinating the whole thing, Bryson was teaching  bible study for the kids, and i led the puppet show. It's really amazing when you think about it. All three of us, Logan, Bryson, and myself all come from Godly families. Our families live for God, and the core values of their lives is to bring him glory, and look at the impact it has had on their kids. We are all playing a strong part in the ministries we are involved in. You might not think that being involved and going to church is important to your kids, but it is. It makes a difference.
I spent most of the rest of the day under all the cabins, putting girder beams in. Eladio and I were on our bellies, in the dark and grass. It was awesome!
Probably the greatest thing that happened all day was this little girl at VBS, she fell in some mud and got in on her hands. She was walking around, looking for somewhere to wipe it off. We didn't have any napkins or towels, so we were all looking around for what to do. And then I said, "Here, wipe on me" and she did. Both her dirty, little mud covered hands went onto my pants, leaving a huge streak of mud on my side, as she made herself pure. She looked at her hands afterwards, and she was so excited. I walked away and didn't think much about it until later.
It was when we were on our way to camp that God spoke to me. I looked down at my pants, and saw the smear of dirt that blotched my clean pants. And that was when I got it. What I did for that little girl was what Jesus did for me, what he did for all of us. I was a dirty, sinful, wretched, ugly, broken man, and Jesus saw my despair, and he said he to me "Here, wipe at on me. I'll take your sin. I'll take your sin, I'll take your dirtiness, I will take your brokenness" And its only because of Him that I have been made clean. Its only through him that I can be made whole, to be free from the chains, all the addictions and all the pain. He took my sin on, and gave his life for me.
When I realized that, I just started crying. It was the most amazing thing. God is so cool, and he is beyond any imagination. He is God, he is love, he is the love of my life, and I can't wait to be with him tomorrow. Praying for you guys :)

Day 4 | Allison Ramsey

Hello to my family! I miss & love you very much, but I am having a great time! We don't have any electric or showers, which I am fine with, but I'm not a fan of the port a jons. It was different from the last time, but it will be a new experience. So, we are taking the wall home with us.Today was the first day of work. I was in Eric's group, which consisted of myself, Kelsie, Tori, Logan, Tyler and Russell. We are putting siding on Neal's house.
God has really touched me once again with the beautiful scenery across the country. He has also blessed us with arriving here safely. Continue to pray for us as we work this week, and start to come back home. God will be very much glorified! 

Day 4 | Kelsie Tonkin

Hey everyone!!! I was a little taken back when we first got here by the idea of not having showers or electric, but then i realized that it is not about little things like that and that we will just have to make the best of what we have, which we have:) although the porter potties are a little disgusting. Today has been a pretty good day and after getting the hang of our job became a pretty productive day. I am in Eric's group with Allie, Tori, Tyler, Russell, and Logan. We are putting siding on Neal's trailer and it has been very time consuming because of the windows and cuts we have to make on the siding. The funnest part was when Allie, Tori and I put up a piece of siding completely by ourselves for the first time, it was hilarious. I enjoyed talking to Neal, he even taught me a new word in crow, shinik (not sure if that is spelled right), which means later because they don't ever use the word goodbye. We also learned that what we call underwear they call shorts and what we call shorts they call shorties :). It made by day when he gave me a real buffalo tooth from one he had killed a few years ago:). That will most definitely be my most favorite souvenir :). Miss everyone back at home, byeee!! :)

Day 4 | Andrew Bleigh

Well, its been a long, and exhausting day! My day started by me being put on the same job site as Eladio. Bill put me with him because he said this is something that we couldn't screw up. That made me feel special! We started by digging and leveling a foundation for a bath house...which took forever because there were so many rocks! But eventually we got the job done. Then we progressed to putting support beams under the  house after we had recruited a few other people which included the likes of Matt Bailey. That made the job a lot more fun :) Then, Kenny told us we had dug too deep of foundation and had to fill it back up! That didn't make me feel that great. Anyways, we our getting ready for dinner and then a huge bonfire afterwards...so keep us in your prayers and God will be glorified :)

Day 4 | Nicole Horty

After three interesting but fun days in the vans we finally got to Montana! At first I was pretty upset about the showers and no electricity, but were gonna make the best of it, after all, it's not about us. Today I started out at VBS  it was very good, I did a puppet show with David, it was quite hilarious!! We didn't have many kids but were having a carnival tomorrow night, so we will get more kids through out the week. After lunch I went with Bill's group, were enclosing a front porch, which is making two rooms bigger, that means we get to knock down other walls too(: but I had to tear down siding when I first got there, then me and JC had to put up this aluminum/tin stuff around where were building, to help keep out water whenever it floods. It was a very frustrating job!! (The nails didn't like us!) Tomorrow were going to put in the windows and

Day 4 | Charity Ramsey

Hey everyone! we arrived at our reservation last evening. I must say i was not expecting to be at a place with no electric, no showers, and port a potties. Not going to lie, i kind of flipped out at first.  Now thinking about it though, this week is not about me and what makes me comfortable so i need to be thankful for what we have here. We have nice cabins to stay in at night, and beautiful scenery, and a lot of fun people to be with here.  Today was our first day of work and I started out with VBS and it was a lot of fun. Not very many kids were there, probably 10, but as word gets around i'm sure more will join us. We did puppet shows, crafts, singing, played games and just had a good time. The kids here are adorable, they are all just so sweet. After we were done with VBS for the day I went to work on a house were we are building on and putting on new porch steps. I do believe i got burnt today but its not terribly hot, surprisingly. There are a few cows that are wondering close to our camp and that kind of creeps me out, but I just hope their nice. Please keep praying that God will be shown through all of us this week! byee! (:

Day 4 | Leandra McMillion

     Hello to all my family. I miss you all so very much. I am doing well, but the first night was very tough. I am kinda liking the whole no showers and electricity thing, but the whole porta potty thing I am not a fan. My first job was to put electricity in the little camp we are staying at and help dig part of a foundation. I have made some great friends here and hope they last. 
     One thing is for sure, God has really revealed to me who he is and what he can do for me. He has answered so many of my prayers and I know that he would never give me a job I can't handle. I know that I can continuously count on him to provide for me in my time of need and when I worry or am fearful. God is an awesome God. 

Day 4 | Cassidy Dickens

     Day one on the reservation is halfway over, and I have to admit: this is amazing. Confessedly, I have never really been an "outdoors" kind of girl, so when we were informed that we may not have showers for a week, I could almost feel my stomach churn a little. However, it hasn't even been 24 hours, and already, my mind has been changed; after all, we didn't come here expecting a 5 star hotel, did we? I'm beginning to realize that this trip is about so much more than just having a cool story to tell; we have the opportunity every day of this week to make a huge impact on people's lives, and, more than anything, to show God's love.
     VBS this morning has to be, quite honestly, one of the biggest blessings I have ever received. This being the first day, we had a smaller group than we anticipated-- eleven children, as opposed to the thirty something I was looking for-- but numbers proved not to matter.  The kids I met today were incredible, to say the very least. They were all so cute and funny, enough to make me genuinely miss being that little. One boy specifically  made my day, maybe even my entire week, without even knowing it. His name is Tirso and he is absolutely as cute as he can be and as high strung as they come.  We were playing catch, and he accidentally stepped in some mud, so I commented that he would have to go home and wash his feet off.  Then he looked at me and said, simply, "We do not have a sink, or a bath, or a shower." In that moment, my heart broke into about a million pieces: how many times have I complained about my sister staying in the shower too long or using up the hot water? The reality is, everyone here is so fortunate, spoiled even, and yet, we are constantly wanting more.
     The point is, nothing can truly satisfy us except God. I cannot wait for the rest of the week to see what else he plans on revealing to us here in Montana.

Sunday, June 26, 2011

Sooo I am now starting our 3rd week of trips!! we have a crew from Madison, Wisconsin, New Jersey, And Texas!!! about a crew of 80 people!! which was about the same as last week!! I will be running a group building a deck for and elderly disabled person out on antelope point! no idea why its called that since i havent seen any antelope.. but im just hoping i can reach this group of kids like we have the past 2!!! Its been a very spiritual experience but also a very tiring busy one!!! so ill try to keep my blogs running!!! And I feel for our GBC trip that just reached Montana to find they had no showers!!!! Shoulda came to New Mexico!!!! its the same time zone... ;) lol and by the way a note to Pastor Bill.. you can throw Charity in the Lake when she start to smell funny.. Which is probably almost all the time.. but still you have permission :D Love you all!!!!!

We have arrived

We made it to Crow Agency with no problems. Thanks for all of your prayers. Video and blog postings late tonight. No live feed the rest of the day.

Day 2 Video

Day 2 | Tomi Dennison

As yesterday, today flew by so fast! Even with having more sleep, I felt like I was more tired. Sadly, our van is extra bumpy. Therefore, zero sleep. Good thing I slept well last night. But, waking up at 5:30 didn't work out so well for me. 
Our van is the best! Matt Bailey, and Drew Bleigh are awesome, (:. Around an hour and a half, we ALL slept, minus me. It was pretty relaxing. After that, it seemed as if it took only 2 hours to get here in, Chamberlain, South Dakota, where we are currently staying the night.
I'm off to bed now. Goodnight.(:

Day 2 | Laura Gerwig

 Today flew bye!!!!!! My day started out eating breakfast with the gang. I slept till our first pit stop, :) I just kind of chilled with the people on our van (literally chill it has a very good Ac)!!!! We went to Al's oasis to eat it was really cool and it looked like a old western town it was awesome! :) We went swimming and had a lot of fun! I'm sooooo excited for tomorrow!!!! I watched a beautiful sunset tonight! Well, I'm gonna head to bed! Missing the mountains very much! 

Day 2 | JC Hoard

Today went by really fast. My day started with Starbucks with Vikki. I slept most of the day. If my van wasn't asleep then we were playing games such as Apples to Apples. Excited to Montana tomorrow :) 

Day 2 | Miranda Riffle

Today was an unusually fast day. All of the van actually ended up sleeping about half the way. What time we did spend awake, was rather interesting. Myself and Callie being on a van with all guys excluding Marcy. We ended up playing a letter game (that we made up as we went, I may add) which turned out to be quite entertaining, even Mickey played. Haha. I am veryyy excited to get to Montana tomorrow and i cant wait to start working, for the four (short) days we have.

Day 2 | Russell Nuckles

I am officially blogging for the first time. Go me. Having a great time. It's pretty funny to be cooped up in a van with Mickey, marcy, miranda, callie, jarren, brian, and tyler. But i'm persevering.  Can't wait to get to Montana and start the work.

Friday, June 24, 2011

Day 1 Video

Day 1 | Brian Gerwig

It was an awesome first day on the  road. We left the church  at 5am this morning. We got to Davenport, Iowa this evening around 5pm.  The traveling went rather well today. None of the other vans had any complaints and everyone got along rather well today. And i want to thank everyone that is praying for us on our journey and praying for our families while we are away from home. 

Day 1 | Tyler Morlan

It was a long first day on the road. We left early in the morning around 5am everyone fell asleep in my van but myself so i made sure to keep them up and alive. The bathroom pit stops were way to often we could of made the trip in half the time if it was not for the weak. Over all it was a great day and we had a blast. talking to each van  they all said they had a blast in there vans. I had a blast and everyone got along well with each other in my van. However i had to wrestle with Gerwig luckily he has grown old and fat so beating him took little effort. I am looking forward to tomorrow and am very excited. 

Thursday, June 23, 2011

What to Expect

Thanks for checking out the mission trip blog as we get ready to leave on our trip to Montana. I wanted to take some time before we left to give you an idea of what you can expect to see here and give you a couple tips.

Over the course of the next 11 days, you won't hear much from me anymore, unless something isn't going as planned. The youth and some of the adults on the trip will be telling the story. This blog's purpose is to provide you with the best opportunity to follow along with the youth. You will see daily entries by youth on the trip and you will have the opportunity to click the comment button below the entry to send the writer feedback and encouragement. Those comments do make it back to the writer on a daily basis.

Also, every day there will be a video posted summarizing that day's activities. This will depend on what internet access is available, so please be patient. Generally they will be posted late into the night. If you have a slower internet connection and still want to watch the videos, there are a couple things you can do. Once you hit play, you will see a button to turn the HD (high definition) off. This will reduce the quality but it will improve playback for you if you are having trouble getting it to load. The other option is to pause the video, let the video load for a little while, and come back later and play it. I hope that helps.

Finally, one new feature we are going to test out is some live video. You can see a tab at the top that says "live". Depending on what kind of internet is available, this may or may not be working, information will be posted if we can come up with a schedule when we get to the work sites. It should be active for most of the roadtrip. Those are the features, if you have any questions, leave me a comment and I'll get back to you as soon as I can. Share this website with your family and friends over the course of the next week.

This mission is intended to extend the love of Christ to the people of Crow Agency. This site is here to provide you a window into that experience. This is all done so that God may be glorified. I hope through the video you will watch and the postings you will read, you can feel like you are a part of this mission trip. Please keep us and the people of Crow Agency in your prayers.

To God be the glory.

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Thursday Hike

ya so this was pretty legit..the family that we have been working with ( weve been installing a new roof) took us out to their sheep farm for a cookout and stuff and we got to go on a hike and naturally we decided to go up the biggest thing in sight..

Monday, June 13, 2011

Day 1 (with a crew)

Hectic.. this is an amazing word because it describes a whole 10 hours of my life :D Started out on a roof with 6 kids with their 2 leaders with Noah Eastman, a co- worker and quickly discovered that this project that was meant to last all week would be done in about 2 days. but all is good in gods eyes I reckon :p got a little bit aggravated at some people but hey, it happens. just some dumb stuff that I think i can do better but thats just a personality thing (thanks mom) haha :D but all is well besides that, I have been chosen as head of roofing operations on all sites and am now an almost full time work crew member, to add to my music stuff :p but hey i gotta go do some practice so peace out!!!!

Friday, June 10, 2011

Video Blog, New Mexico

New Mexico Blog 1

Hey Everybody!! Sorry that I took way to long to start this blog, I've just been one busy fella the past week!!! Anyways.. So last wednesday I took off from Yeager Airport with a final destination in Madison, Wisconsin. As soon as I landed and grabbed my luggage I was tossed in a car with 4 newly acquired friends, as of which we headed to a church camp called Camp Willerup. (which was where I received nine weeks of training.. in four days) Camp was where I met my New Mexico team in addition to all of the other teams that Next Step Ministries sends out nationwide. The four days we had in Willerup were full of Praise Team practices, construction team meeetings, and, bonding with our new friends. It was an awesome experience, all of us came together to prasie and worship our father. We became great friends in a short time!! My crew consists of nine people total, six guys, three girls. My position on the crew is deemed ' music assistant' which basically means I can do whatever I want. :D I do play the bass guitar and run all of the sound equipment and computer stuff. During the main part of the day I will be leading crews of students on the jobsites which will mainly consist of roofing. Since we are already in Crownpoint (it only took us 27 hours of driving ) we have already set up everything and have a slight idea as of how a work week with youth will be. But, with the Lords hand, this will all be a breeze!! I will post pictures & videos of beautiful New Mexico on Facebook and on this blog if possible. Please keep me and everyone on my crew in your daily prayers! God Bless!!!!